


Rise of the Guardians Snow Guardian

by RyoFrost



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Parent, Child Abuse, Eskimo, Family, Fanfiction, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Guardian - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, igloo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:28:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23801590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyoFrost/pseuds/RyoFrost
Summary: A little girl asks for snow to hide from her abusive father. Jack Frost must find a way to protect her from the person who can't see him. His Guardianship is put to the test. (Being rewritten in present tense form.)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	1. Prologue

It is six o’clock in the evening as Mrs. Henry is preparing meatloaf for her and her family.

* * *

It is only 6:05 when her husband arrives home.

“Hi, honey!” Mrs. Henry greets, walking up to him.

“Where’s my food?” the husband bluntly asks.

“We’re having meatloaf. I just put it into the oven,” she said, pointing toward the kitchen.

“I should be coming home with my dinner already prepared!” he yells.

“I was trying to, but I realized I was missing two ingredients,” she said matter-of-factly. “I had to run to the store. I tried to hurry, but all the lines were long.”

“I’m sure there was something else you could’ve made instead, then.”

“Our daughter wanted meatloaf,” the wife responds.

“She’s five,” he tells her as he plops down onto the couch. “She’ll eat what we want, not what she wants!”

“I’m not going to ignore her!”

“But you ignore me?”

“I do not ignore you,” she yells, pointing at him! “You get food put into you!”

“I shouldn’t have to wait for my food!”

“Oh, grow up! You’re a big boy. You can make your own damn dinner!”

Mr. Henry practically jumps off the couch. “Women serve the men!” He slaps his wife in the face.

As she holds her now reddened cheek, she yells, “It’s the 21st century! Men and women both share equal responsibilities now!”

She is smacked again, this time falling to the floor.

“Not in this house,” he yells, standing over her!

* * *

As her parents yell and fight, the little girl, with shoulder-length light brown hair and dark blue eyes, runs into her room to hide under her bed covers.

Before she gets to her bed, she grabs a black crayon and two white pads of paper from her little kid desk.

She jumps onto her bed, pulls the covers back, grabs her Tinker Bell flashlight from her lone nightstand, then lays on her stomach under the covers.

The little girl begins to write as best she could.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1:**

Jack Frost, loved being around kids; Making them happy, whether or not they could see him. He never liked seeing any of them sad, mad, depressed, or scared.

He has been a Guardian for five years now and has enjoyed every minute of it.

Granted, when he first started, he was scared and unsure of himself being a Guardian. He didn’t avoid the four because he learned a lot about where they came from and what they did for the kids of the world when he had to help them fight Pitch Black.

He and Bunny have also been getting along, though occasionally, they would bump heads being that they were both strong alpha males.

He does what needs to be done for his winters, just as the Big 4 do for their work. He still does what he has always done. For being a Sprite of one of four seasons, it was the way it was, and he couldn’t help that.

Jack was heading back to the North Pole after flying to many parts of the world, giving out his snow in many different forms.

He had his own room, but he didn’t always stay at the Pole; It was going to take a long time before he got used to living somewhere that wasn’t Burgess, Pennsylvania.

He got to North’s Headquarters and walked to his room for some rest, but not before he told North that he returned.

Jack took a nap for about an hour. He was hoping for a little longer, but a yeti awoken him, telling him that the big guy needed to see him.

“What about,” Jack asked, groggily?

He couldn’t remember this yeti’s name, there were so many of them, to even try…That, or he was too sleepy to even care at this moment.

The full grey yeti responded in his yeti language, saying, “There is something that he needs you to do.”

At least Jack could understand their language better than he could remember their names.

“Can’t it wait? I was sleeping.”

The yeti shook his head no, which made Jack sigh in annoyance. He threw his feet over the bed and stood up slowly.

 _I bet North would be annoyed if he was awakened from his nap_ , Jack thought to himself.

The giant beast waited for him patiently at the door.

Even though Jack could find North’s office on his own, the unknown yeti led him there, anyway.

He swore he would, eventually, recall this one’s name.

* * *

The two got to the door of North’s office, and the yeti knocked three times.

“Come in, Jack!” North yelled, from the other side.

The grey yeti opened the door, and Jack walked in.

“I told you I was getting some shut-eye,” Jack told him, still annoyed as he walked further into the room. The yeti left the two, closing the door behind him. “That yeti told me you need me to do something.”

“George was correct.”

Oh, right! That was his name!

Wasn’t there another yeti or an elf with the same name?

Okay, yep, he was tired.

“So, what is it,” he asked, plopping down onto a chair?

“You have been requested,” North answered, still sitting behind his desk.

“Requested?” Jack was confused, “By who?”

“A little girl,” he picked up the letter that laid out in front of him and handed it to Jack.

Jack looked over the letter, “North, I can’t read this. I’m not good at reading kid’s handwriting.”

“Ah, no worries!” He took the letter back, “I’ve gotten used to knowing how to read them, I forget others cannot.”

Jack still had tiredness in his eyes, but he forced himself to hear the whole letter.

The letter read:

_Dear Santa,_

_Can you bring more snow? Daddy keeps yelling at mommy and leaving marks, and I want to hide in the snow so he can’t find me._

_My arm still hurts from the other day. He said I was bad because he stepped on my toys that were by my bed._

_Can you bring lots of snow? I want to hide like an Eskimo!_

_Love, Krystall_

Jack’s face was in shock. He was, definitely, wide awake now.

“Her, her dad beats her and her mom?”

“I’m afraid so,” North answered with a sad expression.

“Where does Krystall live,” Jack asked, standing up now?

“In Flagstaff, Arizona,” the big man answered.

“I will give her what she wants,” he turned to walk toward the door.

“Jack,” North joined him on the other side of the desk, stopping the Winter Sprite before he even touched the doorknob.

Jack felt as though he needed to hurry to help the young girl, but looked back at him, to hear more of what he needed to say.

“That child needs more than just your snow. You must put your Guardian duties to the test.”

“How?”

“You must protect her.”

“How can I protect her from someone who can’t see me,” Jack asked, worriedly?

“I cannot give you all the answers, Jack.” He placed a hand on his shoulder, “You must figure that out on your own. Krystall is your number one priority until she is safe.”

“For how long?”

“As long as it need be.”

North saw his still worried face, “Do not worry, you can still go off to do Wintery things, but you must always return to her.”

Jack nodded slowly.

“And any one of us will keep eye on you in case of anything.”

Jack smiled slightly with the same nod.

“You will do fine,” he told him warmly. “Man in Moon would not have chosen you as Guardian if he knew you could not care and protect the children.”

Jack’s smile widened more. “I should get going.”

“If you need to catch up on sleep—”

“No. No.” He waved his hands along with a shake of his head, “That little girl needs me.”

After he got the address, Jack headed to Flagstaff.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2:**

It was eight o’clock at night when Jack made it to Flagstaff, Arizona. He located the one-story home he was searching for and found Krystall’s room at the front of the house.

The girl was sleeping.

He wasn’t too sure if it would wake her, he wasn’t planning on doing so, but Jack wanted to leave her a sign that he got her letter and was there for her, even at this hour.

He created a snowflake that traveled through the closed window, floating over to the girl’s nose and touching it, turning into a particle of magical swirls. Jack even decided to give her a little snow inside her bedroom.

Krystall stirred in her sleep and pulled her covers closer to her face.

Jack chuckled. “I just need you to know, kiddo,” he said aloud to himself.

The girl turned, seemingly noticing it was cold instead of warm in her bedroom. The covers weren’t doing her any favors.

She awoke, curious on the temperature change.

That’s when she noticed the light snowfall right in her very own room. She smiled widely at that.

Jack knocked lightly on the window.

When she saw him, she was scared, but when he formed a snowflake in his hand, her smile returned.

He smiled back, then pointed to the lock on her window.

Krystall walked quickly and giddily to the window and unlatched it.

She wasn’t strong or tall enough to completely open the window, so Jack pushed it upward himself. Once he was in, he reclosed the window.

“You can make snow,” Krystall asked, excitedly?

“I sure can,” he answered. Then with a sad face, said, “Santa showed me the letter you sent him.”

He laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, “I’m going to be your Guardian.”

“My Guardian?”

His face returned to a positive look as he responded, “A Guardian is someone that watches over another and protects them. So I’m going to do more than just bring you snow to hide in.”

“Are you going to tell daddy to stop being mean?”

He sighed, “I wish I could. But adults can’t see me.”

“How come?”

“They have to believe in me in order to see me.”

“Oh, okay.”

Jack could see that she was saddened by that, so he told her, “But don’t worry, I’ll protect you as best as I can. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Santa told me to stay with as long as you need me. But I would have to leave occasionally to run errands and such, so the other Guardians will watch over you until I return.” 

“Who are the other Guardians, and what’s your name?”

“My name is Jack Frost,” he said, pointing to himself and bowing his head slightly to the side in a greeting manner.

“There are four other Guardians. You have Santa,” the mention of North’s other given name got an ear to ear smile from Krystall, “You have the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and Sandman.”

“Who is _Sandman_ ,” she asked, curiously?

“He’s the bringer of sweet dreams.”

“He’s the reason I don’t get that many nightmares?”

That concerned Jack, “He is the reason, but have you been having nightmares?”

“Yes.”

“About what,” he asked?

“About daddy hurting us and even killing mommy.”

Jack was in shock and disbelief that she was having those types of nightmares. “I’m so sorry you have to be in the middle of your parents’ fights and abuses.

“But I’m here now, and everything’s going to be all right,” he took her hand in reassurance. In his mind, though, he thought, _I hope_.

“Do you have trouble sleeping,” he then asked?

“Sometimes,” she answered softly, her face sad.

“What were your dreams like before I woke you?” Jack led Krystall back to her bed, tucking her in.

“They were good.”

“That’s a relief to hear.” Ruffling up her hair then kneeling next to her bed, he asked, “You think you could have more of those good dreams tonight.”

She nodded, then said, “It stopped snowing.”

“Don’t want the floors to get too wet. And I don’t want you to catch a cold.” He smiled a big smile as he added, “We can have a snow day tomorrow.”

Krystall smiled that same smile, “Promise?”

He chuckled, forming an invisible X over his heart with his right index finger, “Promise.”

Jack straightened up and began to walk toward her bedroom door as he told her, “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to check up on your parents.”

With a smile and pointing a finger, he said, “You better be asleep when I get back.”

“Can I wait until you come back,” she pleaded?

Jack walked back over to her, laying a hand atop her own, “I won’t be long, I promise. Just try to get back to sleep. I’ll still be here when you wake in the morning.”

She nodded reluctantly, then asked, “where are you going to sleep?”

“On the floor,” he responded, looking at what spot he can take up.

“I have a beanbag chair,” she pointed to the wall opposite of her.

Looking in that direction, he saw the pink beanbag chair and said, “That’ll work.”

Jack turned back to Krystall, “Now, get some sleep.” With that, he carefully opened the door. It creaked some, and he stopped, making sure no one heard, before stepping out into the hall.

Jack heard a low volume TV and went in the direction of the sound.

He got to the living room that curved to the right of the hallway.

No lights were on, so he had to step closer to see who was there.

It was the dad. He seemed to be engrossed in some fictional war show.

“Hm, so you like shows about people hurting people.” He rolled his eyes, then sarcastically added, “Fits you.”

Jack proceeded to check up on the mom.

He found that this was a two-bedroom home, so it made it easier to find the master bedroom. This room was on the other side of the house, away from Krystall’s.

He opened the door, only slightly and peeked in, he saw the girl’s mom sleeping form facing the door.

Though there wasn’t much light, he was able to see a bandage on the left side of her forehead.

“Why don’t you divorce and leave that monster? Don’t you realize that you’re not only putting your life endanger but putting your daughter’s at risk as well by staying here?”

How he wished the woman could hear him and do the right thing by calling the police.

He closed the door and headed back to Krystall’s room.

To his relief, the little girl was fast asleep.

Jack was feeling tired himself, and gently and quietly sat down on the beanbag chair for some much-needed rest.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3:**

Jack woke around eight. He walked over to Krystall’s bed and saw that she was still sleeping peacefully.

He was grateful for that since she told him about having nightmares. May have been what he told her or just his presence in general that allowed her to sleep through the night.

He quietly left the room to check on his charge’s parents.

The man was asleep on the couch, and the TV was still on.

Jack forced cold air on the man, and he shivered, pulling the blanket upward in his sleep. Jack smirked.

He went to the Master bedroom and saw that the woman was awake, looking out the window.

He quickly but carefully closed the door before the woman could believe the door opened on its own.

Jack went back to Krystall’s room so as not to worry her if she awoke, believing he left without a word.

She woke up a little past 9:30, and he was there by her side to greet her.

“Good morning, kiddo,” he said with a smile. “Looks like you had a good sleep.”

“I dreamt I was living in an igloo.”

Jack chuckled, “You did, huh?”

“I did,” She answered happily. “It was somewhere at the North Pole.”

Jack’s smile widened, “Was it near Santa’s workshop?”

She shook her head, no.

“You were there. You built the igloo for me.”

“Did I make it well?”

“It was big. You can stand up in it. You can make anything!”

“Will, almost,” He sat on the edge of her bed, now. “I’ve never, actually, made an igloo before.” He ruffled up her hair, “But today’s going to change that.”

Krystall jumped on her bed in happiness, “Yay!”

Jack quickly stood up, holding her arms to make sure she wouldn’t fall off.

“Careful! Careful!”

She only laughed, jumping one last time before landing on her knees on the bed.

He shook his head and laughed.

Suddenly, the door opened, and the two looked to see who it was.

It was the mom, and Jack could now see her face clearly. The bandage on her forehead went from her eyebrow to almost touching her hairline. He even saw a small bruise on the cheekbone, on the same side.

“Who are you talking to, sweetheart?”

Jack told Krystall, “Just tell her you’re talking to your imaginary friend.”

She smiled and answered her, “I’m talking to my imaginary friend.”

“Oh?” her mom asked, with a smile. “What’s their name?”

“His name is Jack.”

Her mom walked in, stopping at her bed. “Hello, Jack,” she said, looking beside her daughter.

He had since moved to the end of the bed, and Krystall redirected her mom to that spot.

“He’s over there,” she pointed.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Hello, Jack,” she repeated. “I’m Krystall’s mom.”

“He says hello. And he knows who you are.”

Krystall crawled to where Jack was, then turned toward her mom as she sat on the end of the bed. “He’s been here since last night. He says he’s my Guardian, and he also checked to see if you were okay.”

“That’s very sweet of you, Jack. Thank you.” Her smile was soft, her eyes glistened.

She hugged her daughter. “I’m so happy you found a Guardian Angel. And I do hope he does protect you for as long as possible.”

“I will! I promise you that!” Jack moved again, this time to stand beside the mother, now.

“He says, he promises he will,” she told her mom.

Her mom hugged her tighter, then pulling away, her hands resting on Krystall’s arms, said, “Come on. I’ll make you some breakfast.”

“Pancakes?”

“Pancakes it is,” Her mom smiled.

“Can I play outside while you cook the food?”

“You can, but you go potty first, then we have to get you into some warm clothes. Okay?”

“Okay.”

* * *

Krystall was now in pink winter boots, blue jeans, a fuzzy white long-sleeve shirt, purple gloves, and a thick pink jacket that had Tinker Bell on the back with the character’s name on the right sleeve.

“I see Tinker Bell is your favorite character, huh?” Jack asked as they found a good spot to play in in the backyard.

“Yes,” She smiled!

“What do you like about that character?”

“She can make stuff out of anything and fly using pixie dust.”

She looked at him then, “Can you fly?”

“Yep. It’s one of the perks of being a Winter Sprite.” He showed her by hovering five feet off the ground. “No pixie dust needed,” he grinned.

She smiled broadly. “I wish I can fly.”

He landed back on his feet and looked around to be sure no one was nearby. When he saw the coast was clear, he said, “Well, no flying right now, but hovering is just the same.”

Jack stepped closer to her. He had his staff balance on his right foot and cross to lean against his left shoulder. “Take my hands,” he then told her.

She did, then she was lifted ten feet off the ground.

“This is fun!”

“I’m not only a Guardian who watches over kids. I’m also the Guardian of Fun.”

Krystall’s huge smile maintained, and when they landed back on the ground, she gave him a bear hug. Well, around his legs, anyway.

“Whoa!” Jack nearly lost his balance. And not too long after, he hugged her back with a smile.

“Can we build the igloo now?” she asked in anticipation as she looked up while still embracing him.

Smiling, he said, “Let’s build that igloo.”

She sat down on her knees in the fluffy white, while Jack used the curved end of his staff to create more snow in a good-sized pile.

“Your stick has magic?”

“No,” he answered. “I just use it as a conduit to channel my powers.”

“What’s a con-du-it?”

Jack smiled and answered, “Conduits are anything that allows powers, or electricity, let’s say, to flow through them.

“So, for me, it helps focus my powers to where I want them to go or what I want them to do.” He put his head to the side as he added, “I can use my powers without it, but I just prefer the staff.”

“Can I hold it?”

Krystall was still sitting on the ground as he placed his wooden staff into her hands. “It has a little bit of weight to it, but it won’t be too much for you.”

“The white stuff disappeared when you let go.”

He made a silent laugh, then began to arrange the snow in a circle and pat them down to their right specs.

Krystall sat Jack’s staff down between them to help him build the igloo.

They got to the second layer before she was called back in by her mom.

“We’ll finish this after breakfast,” Jack told Krystall as he helped her to her feet.

“Okay,” she answered, smiling again.

Before she was to head back inside, Jack wiped the snow off of her pants.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Daddy would have been mad if I went into the house dirty.”

Jack pursed his lips. “What exactly does he do if you go into the house dirty?”

“He would yell and spank me.”

“What!?” He took a breath and thought to himself, _doesn’t he even know that she’s just a kid? Ugh! This bastard’s really getting under my skin!_

“You’re cleaned. He shouldn’t be mad about that now.” He took her hand, and they began to walk to the backdoor.

They were only fifteen feet when the door flung open, and the man stormed out, grabbing Krystall by the arm.

She screamed in fear and pain.

“You were called back inside,” her dad yelled!

“I was coming back inside,” she cried!

“Don’t smart-mouth me, or I’ll smack you!”

“Hey!” Jack wished he could be heard. “Does it look like she was still playing? She was nearing the door!”

He had to hurry in before he was closed out of the house. _Why is he always mad about everything?_

“What’s going on?” The mom asked as she rushed to her daughter’s side. “What did she do?”

“I was bringing her back inside.”

“You don’t need to yank her arm!” She gently pulled Krystall to her. Her daughter clutched in fear of being hit by her dad. “Are you always trying to break her bones?”

“That happened only once,” the man yelled!

“What!?” Jack was pissed now.

“It should have never happened to begin with,” the wife still yelled!

“You used to know what love was,” she told him, “Now you have forgotten what it is.”

“It’s called _tough love_.”

“She doesn’t need your kind of _tough love_!”

Krystall’s mom walked her daughter to the small dining room. “Try to eat your food before it gets cold,” She brushed her fingers through her kid’s hair; her daughter only nodded.

Her mom hung her jacket on the back of the chair with her gloves put into the pockets of it.

Krystall picked up a piece of pancake; the food already cut up into pieces.

Her mom went into the kitchen, which was in the same space as the dining room, to get her own plate of food.

“You okay?” Jack asked as he rubbed the arm her dad grabbed.

She nodded, his cold touch relaxing her now sore arm.

“I wish your mom would just leave your dad,” he said. “It’s not safe for either of you to stay here.” He still rubbed her arm, “I know it’s hard for you to comprehend this because you’re so young, but I just want you to be safe. To go someplace where your dad can’t hurt you anymore.”

She looked up at Jack and asked, “Where would daddy go?”

“What was that, honey?” Her mom asked, putting syrup on her pancakes at the kitchen counter.

“Jack said we should go someplace safe.”

Jack saw the look on the woman’s face, and he was curious about what she would say.

But she didn’t say a word. All she did was give the face of sorrow and a forced smile.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4:**

“Finish your food. Then you can go back out and play,” Krystall’s mom told her as she sat down at the dining table.

 _Hopefully, as days go by, I will figure out why Krystall’s mom is so hesitant about leaving_ , Jack thought to himself as he waited for Krystall to finish eating.

Suddenly, there was a growl, and Jack realized that he was hungry and needed to find something to eat.

“Mommy?”

“Yes, honey?”

“Jack’s tummy is hungry. Can you make him a plate too?”

The mother smiled and asked, “What would your Guardian Angel like?”

 _Is she joking or being serious_? Then he remembered a kid a few years back, who had an imaginary friend, and saw that the mom thought the imaginary friend “being hungry” excuse was to get a second helping of a popsicle.

_I bet she’s thinking that same thing the boy’s mom was._

“What do you want to eat, Jack,” Krystall asked?

He smiled down at her then answered, “she doesn’t have to. I can find something elsewhere.”

“But she said that she would make you something.” She heard Jack’s stomach growl again. “You can’t play when you’re hungry.”

Jack chuckled, “All right. I’ll have one of everything you’re having.”

“He said he will have one of everything.”

Her mom made a small laugh, “is that all he would like?”

“Yes,” she answered.

“Okay.” The mother kept the smile on her face as she took one more bite of her pancake before getting up to make Jack some breakfast.

“Is daddy going to eat with us?”

“Remember, he eats a little bit later than us,” the mom answered, with barely any emotion in her voice.

Once she reheated the stove, she sat back down to finish her food.

* * *

A few minutes passed, and Jack’s breakfast was ready.

Both Krystall and her mom already finished their food.

“Wow! Thank you, Mrs. Henry,” Jack smiled. It was his first time being given food by a human, and he wasn’t going to let that go to waste.

“Hey, kiddo, I can’t eat with her here,” Jack told Krystall. “Remember, adults can’t see me. So, me eating in front of them might cause alarm.”

“Jack says thank you, and can’t eat with you watching.”

“All right sweetheart, I’ll be in the living room,” the mom said as she placed the empty dishes in the dishwasher.

* * *

“That was an excellent breakfast,” Jack said, as he and Krystall now stood by the backdoor.

“Mommy is good at making lots of food,” Krystall answered with a smile.

“That’s always a plus,” Jack smiled back, as he fixed her hair tucked in her coat.

Then with a hunted expression, consoled, “We don’t have to go back outside if you’re too scared to. We can play in your room.”

“I want to finish the igloo.”

“Are you sure?”

“I want to get the igloo ready.”

He really hated that she, and other kids alike, had to fear their own family member.

He was in a conundrum trying to figure out how he was supposed to protect this sweet girl, and how many years he may have to stay by her side.

Jack was, of course, there for a short time, but he wished he knew what to do going in.

“All right, let’s go.” Jack opened the door, and Krystall hopped toward their work-in-progress with joy. Jack was happy to see that playful side return, even if it was just to build something she could hide in from danger.

They sat on their knees; Jack’s staff laid between them once again after he added more snow to the pile.

“Are you all right with this not being as big as the one in your dream,” Jack asked?

“The one in my dream was far away from daddy,” she responded. “This one needs to be small, so it would be easier to hide.”

“I want to make you happy and do this for you, kiddo, but you can’t hide in this forever.” He went closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders, “I can understand if you want to hide occasionally, but I _am_ _here_ to protect you.”

“Can your powers protect me from daddy if he can’t see you?”

“Yes. Because my powers are of Winter, all ages can see it.” He looked down at his wooden staff, “Though, with certain things I use them for, not everyone should be present.”

“How come?”

“Well, those who can’t see or don’t believe in me, may find it odd with something that shouldn’t be possible to them.”

“Would people get scared?”

“Most of them would, yes.

“So, I can’t use my powers against anyone unless it’s truly necessary. Meaning, I can’t teach your daddy a lesson every time he does something wrong.” He smiled, “You _will_ remain safe with me, I guarantee you that.”

Krystall moved to hug him, and Jack’s smile remained. “You’re such a sweet kid,” he told her, hugging back.

Once she let go of him, Krystall picked up his staff and pretended to shoot ice at a tree, making sound effects to go along with it.

Jack chuckled, “What are you doing?”

“I’m shooting ice as practice at a tree.”

“Here,” Jack started, as he had her sit on his lap, “why don’t we make it look a little more realistic?”

“Yeah, yeah!” She bounced slightly in excitement.

He wrapped his hands atop of hers.

“Because you have gloves on, it shouldn’t feel too cold. So, you’ll be fine.”

Jack adjusted the angle, then asked, “you ready?”

“Ready!”

“Okay. On the count of three.

“One…Two…Three!”

Thin frost and ice shot out of the curved end of Jack’s staff, hitting the tree squarely in the middle, creating an intricate design of swirls in all directions.

“Look at what you made,” they walked closer to the tree to get a better look. “You’re not going to try and take over my Winter job, are you,” he asked jokingly?

Krystall giggled, “I want to do more winter magic.”

He found it relieving that, for the moment, she was concentrating on playing something else other than building the igloo. So, Jack granted her that wish to pretend to be a Winter Sprite.

“Here’s one you’ll really love.” Jack went back behind her and bent over her left shoulder.

He brought his hand in front of her, palm up. “Place your hand on top of mine with your palm upward.”

She did as told, then Jack asked, “What do you want the snowflake to look like?”

“I want to make one with a star in the middle of it.”

“All right. Now look as though you’re concentrating…” He saw her from the corner of his eye, looking intense to concentrate. “Don’t hurt yourself. Just keep your face relaxed. No need to concentrate too hard.”

Her face changed to a calmer appearance.

“That’s better,” he said, smiling, “Now watch the palm of your hand.”

Frost formed above Krystall’s hand, creating a very small snowflake that twirled as it grew.

Finally, it took full shape; a five-point star etched out in the middle of it. The six ends of the snowflake looked like hearts.

“This is fun,” she exclaimed!

“I’m glad you are having fun. I want to keep seeing that happy face.” Jack was thankful that the smile was kept on her face; not even an inkling of fear from earlier showed its presence.

The snowflake moved higher as Jack bent their elbows. “Spread your fingers out.”

As soon as she did, the snowflake twirled between their fingers.

Then, after the sixth time, it flew higher, and Jack moved to stand in front of Krystall. The snowflake spun around them three times before heading further up into the sky.

“I want to fly now,” she told him. “Can I fly now?”

“It’s daylight. People would be able to see you, silly girl,” he told her.

“Fly at nighttime?”

“We’ll see, we’ll see,” he said as he ruffled up her hair.

“Okay,” Krystall said with the slightest hint of displeasure, but just as soon moved on to something else. “I want to pretend to have more Winter powers. Are there any more?”

“There’s a lot more,” Jack answered. “We would need to use a window or mirror for this next one, though.”

Krystall’s bedroom was located at the front of the house, so that one was out of the question. _May have to use a good-sized mirror for this next one then_ , Jack thought to himself.

Suddenly, there was a crash from inside the house, the sound of something breaking.

Directly after that incident, Jack heard movement in the snow and turned to see that Krystall was running back toward the igloo. He jogged to catch up to her. 

“Hey, hey,” His voice was soft. He went down on his knees to be at her level as he said, “It’s all right, I’m right here.”

Jack caught sight of a tear of fright and wiped it away as soon as it fell from her eye.

He even saw signs of trembling.

Jack embraced her, hoping to calm her down. Or, at least, try to.

“We can finish that igloo. Would that make you feel better?” He felt a nod of the head on his shoulder.

Jack let go of her and saw more tears. He wiped them away.

“You want to see if you fit into the igloo before we continue it?”

Krystall nodded again, and Jack lifted her and put her inside the igloo.

“Looks like it fits you perfectly, my little Eskimo. Not too small and not too big,” he smiled.

Jack placed her back on the outside of the igloo and proceeded to round out the entrance to it.

Krystall finished the last part of the second layer before beginning the third.

Once Jack was done refining the entrance, he helped her with the rest.

The two got to the fifth and final layer with no interruptions, which Jack was grateful for; Krystall needed a break from all that frightfulness.

Krystall took a handful of snow to put at the top, but realized, even on her tippy-toes, that she couldn’t reach.

“I can’t reach the top.”

Jack looked up from what he was doing and saw her looking at him for help. He got up and gathered some snow. “No worries! I got it.”

Once he patted down the roof, the igloo was finally complete. And, once again, Jack saw Krystall’s face light up with happiness.

“Why don’t you try it out?”

She hopped to the entrance and crawled on her hands and knees to enter. He went down in front of the entryway to peek inside.

“What do you think? You like it?”

“I love it!”

Krystall scrambled out to hug him, but not before scaring Jack to back away, wondering what was wrong.

When she hugged him, though, he relaxed with a relieved sigh.

“Thank you,” she told him.

“You’re welcome, my little Eskimo.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5:**

Krystall’s mom joined her daughter in the backyard and stopped stunned when she saw the igloo.

“Did you build this?” She walked closer to inspect the igloo.

“Well, she did have help,” Jack said enthusiastically.

“Ja—” Krystall was silenced as Jack bent to her level, placed a hand on her shoulder, and put a finger to his lips to quiet her.

“Just say you did,” Jack told her.

The little girl nodded, “Yes, I did.”

The mother smiled with wonderment and ruffled up her daughter’s hair, “You are very creative, and smart. You’re going to go far in your future.”

Still, at Krystall’s level, Jack smiled at her, “Now that, I have no doubt.”

She smiled at her mom and Jack, then asked, “Mommy, want to see the inside of the igloo?

“I would love to.”

Krystall crawled inside the igloo. “Daddy can’t find me now. Mommy, you can hide with me.”

Both her mother and Jack sighed with sadness present. Tears fell from her mom’s eyes, but she quickly wiped them away.

“Thank you, sweetie. But I’ll be all right.”

Jack groaned with annoyance. “For how long? You can’t keep living like this. In fear every day.”

“Jack said, living in fear every day is not good for you.” Krystall brought her knees up to her chest.

Jack walked through the mom and sat next to Krystall; he placed a hand on her shoulder. She was comforted with him near.

“What fell?” The little girl asked.

“What?” Her mom didn’t understand the question.

“In the house.”

“Oh! That was just a vase. It got too close to the edge of the counter.”

 _A vase?,_ Jack thought to himself, _I didn’t see any vase. Unless she just took it out. But there were no plants, real or fake, to put in it._

He made sure to keep his expression at bay, so Krystall wouldn’t read anything into it and ask questions.

The mom reached her hand out then, and said, “Come on. It’s time to go back inside.”

“But I like it here. I want to stay.”

“Krystall,” Jack said with light authority, “Listen to your mom.”

“But I don’t want to go!” She backed up closer to the wall and crossed her arms. “The igloo is where I live now!”

Was it a bad idea to have built the igloo? He didn’t think it would escalate to this.

“Eskimo, I told you I would protect you.” Jack’s eyes were soft, “You’ll be all right as long as I’m here. Let’s go back into the house. We can play in your room.”

She looked away in thought, then gave in with a groan.

As Krystall crawled to the entrance, she kicked Jack in the thigh. “Ow.”

She seemed to have not noticed it or ignored it.

* * *

They were now back in the house, and Krystall walked hurriedly to her room.

When she got to her room, she forced the door toward its latch harshly.

“Whoa!” Jack caught the door in time. “Let’s not slam the door. You don’t want your dad to yell at you on why you slammed the door now, do you?”

She didn’t answer him, only climbed into her bed, facing away from him.

He shook his head as he thought, _she does need a nap._ Jack walked over to her and placed her light-pink baby blanket atop her after removing her shoes. “Get some shuteye, kiddo. Hopefully, you’ll feel better once you awake again.”

Krystall fell asleep instantly.

Jack walked over to the window and looked up at the quarter moon.

Jack spoke in a low voice, “Man in the Moon, was I in the wrong to allow that igloo to be built? Did I push her away from knowing that it’s me that will protect her, and not the igloo itself?”

He looked at the sleeping form of the child he had sworn to protect from her abusive father, when a voice that he knew only the Guardians could hear, conversed, “It is but a small structure. You made her happy by helping her build it. You brought fun to her. Now, it is up to you to continue the fun so she could forget all about hiding.

“I have seen that she loved pretending to be you. Continue that.”

Jack looked back at the moon and nodded. At least there were plenty of more winter powers to go through until he could figure out what else to do to keep her happy.

“I’ll do my best.”

* * *

Krystall reawakened two hours later, at 3:00 pm.

She saw she was alone in her room.

She may have been mad at Jack, but she wondered where he was. He was still her friend.

“Jack?” Krystall crawled out of her bed and looked to see if he was only hiding. “Where did you go?”

Did she upset and make him leave?

She walked over to the window and saw that the latch was opened.

Krystall pounded on the glass three times with the palms of her hands.

* * *

Jack had gone out to bring more snow to the Northern parts of Arizona. He could’ve asked Manny to send one of the other Guardians to watch over Krystall so he could bring more snow to other parts of the world. But he felt it wasn’t time for that; he didn’t want to leave her so early.

When he returned, he sat on the roof of the Henry house near Krystall’s window when he saw she was still asleep.

Twenty minutes later, and Jack heard banging.

He stood up to get a better sense of where the sound was coming from, but it didn’t last long. He flew higher to see if he could see anything that would have made that noise.

Nothing.

* * *

On her second hit, Krystall saw a shadow seemingly rise from the snow.

She pounded the window three more times, and the shadow appeared to get bigger, then Jack was suddenly at her window.

She smiled, “Jack!”

Jack opened the window as he smiled back. “So, you were the one who made those noises.” He turned to reclose the window, “I wasn’t sure what it was at—”

The bedroom door flew opened, making Jack and Krystall jump.

“What is with the banging?” The father hollered, walking toward Krystall.

The window was still open slightly, and the dad spotted it.

“What do you think you’re doing opening up the window?” Mr. Henry went to close it, Jack only stepping slightly away.

The window was now shut and locked.

Mr. Henry pointed a finger toward his daughter. “You trying to sneak out? There’s nowhere for you to go. How are you going to survive out there with no food?”

Her dad then went to her bed and proceeded to look underneath it, looking for a packed bag with clothes and food.

When he saw nothing there, he looked through the closet.

“So, you were planning on leaving with nothing but the clothes on your back?” Mr. Henry asked, walking back up to Krystall.

“Do you need a spanking?”

“No!” Krystall yelled in fear. “I wasn’t going anywhere!”

“Then why open the window? It’s cold out, and the heat is on.”

He advanced on her. “Come here!”

Jack wanted to do something, but he was at a loss. He went forward only to realize he was stuck.

He peered down behind him and saw that the hem of his hoodie caught in the closed window.

Jack turned as best as he could to get his hoodie unstuck. But there was no use unless he opened the window.

He looked back at the father; his eyes were on Krystall. Jack was becoming worried about her.

As long as her dad kept his glance away from the window, Jack could get himself free.

He looked back behind him then at the dad one more time before reaching for the latch; The tricky part was being able to lift the window with one hand at the odd angle he was in.

Jack couldn’t get a proper grip. He was getting frustrated; he needed to be by Krystall’s side!

Because of his frustration, he banged the window with his elbow- which had also gotten the dad’s attention- and quickly got the idea to use his elbow to lift the glass pane.

“What the hell!?” Mr. Henry said with shocked confusion as he watched the pane lift.

Jack spun his head back toward the dad with an _“oh crap”_ look.

Jack got free, and he moved fast toward Krystall’s side as her dad went to investigate the self-opening window.

The dad inspected the window and was at a loss. “Gravity getting pulled in the wrong direction, or something?”

Jack raised a brow, “Sure, why not.”

Jack gently pushed Krystall to the door, “Come on, let’s get out of your room.”

He closed the door quietly behind them.

The dad closed the window again and waited to see if it would open itself back up. When nothing happened, he stood there, staring in confusion.

 _What made that noise, as well?_ The dad thought to himself. _Did a bird hit it? But then right after, the window pulled itself open._


	7. Chapter 6

When Krystall and Jack got to the living room, Jack heard running water, which indicated that the mother was in the shower.

Krystall sat on the couch.

“Do you want to watch some TV?” Jack asked, looking over what he knew was the remote, but had no idea how to work it.

“Sure,” Krystall answered, watching his face make confused looks. “Do you not know how to use that?”

He looked at her a bit embarrassed, “Actually, no.”

“You don’t have your own TV?”

“No, us Sprites and Spirits have no use for them.” Jack smiled as he added, “The outdoors has always been my TV anyway.”

“Can we go back outside?”

“Not right now. I don’t want you to get in trouble.” Jack looked over the remote again.

“To turn the TV on, you have to push the red button.”

“Oh! That’s simple enough.” He turned the TV on then looked at Krystall, “Do you know what channel you watch?”

“I think it starts with a two.”

Jack sighed. He scanned the room to see if there was something else the two could do.

He saw two things that seemed to be Krystall’s. He wasn’t sure about the first, though. There was a, _‘How to Train Your Dragon’_ , chapter book. And one of her few Tinker Bell dolls. This one being Fawn.

He turned the TV back off, handed Krystall her fairy doll, then opened the Dragon book to see what it was about.

The dragon book was definitely not hers; It was more for eight to early teens.

Curious, Jack showed Krystall the book, and asked, “Has your mom read you this book?”

She shook her head, “No.” Hugging her doll, she asked, “Will you read it to me?”

“This has dragons in it. It may scare you.” He sat on the couch next to her, the book laying between them on their legs. He showed her the pictures.

“They don’t look too scary,” Krystall told him.

“Are you sure?” Jack asked questionably.

She nodded.

“All right.” Jack hoped he wouldn’t regret it later. He went back to the first page and began, “Chapter one, my name is Hiccup—”

“That person has a funny name,” Krystall interrupted.

Jack chuckled, “He does, doesn’t he?”

“Does he always have hiccups, to be named that?”

Jack let out more laughter. “I don’t think so, Eskimo. By what the characters wear on the cover, they appear to be Vikings.”

“What are Vikings?”

“Vikings are Scandinavian seafaring pirates and traders from northwestern Europe. They’re long before I was ever around.”

“What’s Scand-i-vain?”

“Scan-di-nav-ian. The term Scandinavia covers the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.”

Jack saw she was still confused and chuckled some more. “You’ll understand when you’re older. Now hush.”

Krystall closed her mouth, her lips going inward.

Jack laughed a little again, then continued reading, “I live on an island called Berk. It’s a spiky chunk of rock jutting out of the churning ocean—”

“What are you doing with your cousin’s book?”

It was the mom. She walked closer to the side of the couch.

“Jack is reading it to me, and it has pictures,” Krystall answered.

“Okay, but you be careful with it. I’m sure you’re cousin would want it back.”

“We’ll be careful.”

The mom smiled and was about to walk away when she asked, “Where’s your daddy?”

“He’s in my room looking at the window.”

“ _Looking_ at your window?” Krystall’s mom was at a loss. “Is there something wrong with it?”

Then the answer walked toward them.

“How did you make the window move?”

“What are you talking about?” The mother asked, still confused.

“The window opened on its own.”

The mom raised an eyebrow, “It _opened_ on its own?”

“What did you do to it?” Mr. Henry hissed.

“Why are you putting the blame on me?!” The mother yelled back. “One, I was in the shower, remember? And two, why would I mess with our daughter’s window?”

“I don’t know. No one else lives here. But someone messed with it!” Mr. Henry yelled.

“No one played a trick on you. Only your mind did.”

“Excuse me!?” He asked angrily.

“Windows can’t move by themselves. It was all in your head.”

“I know what I saw! Don’t you dare tell me otherwise! And why don’t you tell me how the window moved!”

“We lived in this house for many years, and now you’re saying a window moved on its own?” The mom crossed her arms, “You’re the only one who claimed to have seen an object move on their own. So, you figure it out!”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

“I didn’t say that! Why are you arguing with me on this? Stop blaming people for your problems!”

“Problems? People are the ones who give me problems! You’re doing it right now!”

“How am I giving you a problem? _I did not mess with the window!_ I don’t know how to help you with your self-opening window!” Mrs. Henry told her husband.

Suddenly, Mrs. Henry was on the floor, holding her left cheek.

“Don’t talk back to me!” Mr. Henry yelled.

“I didn’t talk back to you!”

Jack was already off the couch as soon as he saw the mother fall to the floor.

“Mommy!” Krystall cried out.

“Be quiet!” her dad yelled. “Stay out of it!”

Krystall tried to go to her mom but was stopped by Jack and turned the other direction when he saw the father raise his foot and kick the mom in the leg.

“Krystall,” Jack started, “I think it’s time that you do go hide in your igloo.”

“I want to be by mommy!”

“Please! I don’t want you to get involved and hurt. Please go hide.”

Krystall didn’t move toward the back door but toward her mom. She saw her dad still beating on her mom.

“Mommy!” She looked at her dad with tears, “Daddy, stop hurting mommy!”

Jack stepped in front of her to block her view of what was happening.

“Jack! Save mommy!”

 _Maybe I can do something small that can be a distraction,_ Jack thought to himself.

“I’ll try. But please, go hide.” This time Krystall obeyed and ran to the back door.

Jack turned back to the abusive scene and stepped closer to the man. He tried to think as fast as he could, looking around to see what he could come up with.

His eyes landed back on the TV remote. _It’s something_ , Jack thought to himself, picking it up.

Jack aimed the remote at the man’s head, and it hit his temple. The husband’s hands flew up to the now bleeding wound.

The remote laid on the floor upside down: its battery door only a few feet away.

The wife, still on the floor, backed herself away. She didn’t know what stopped her husband from beating her, for her arms covered her head.

“Dammit! What the hell!?” Was all the man could say as he grimaced in pain.

Mrs. Henry carefully picked herself up off the floor and limped away, calling for her daughter.

Jack glided toward the back door, careful not to spread his chill wind or frost. He opened the door before she got close enough to notice it open on its own. The woman felt the chill air, from outside before she even neared closer, and headed that direction.

Jack sighed in relief.

Krystall’s mom limped quickly to the igloo.

“Come on, sweetheart,” she said, “we’re going to stay somewhere else for a while.

“Are we going back to that hotel?” Krystall asked.

“Yes, we are.”

Krystall smiled, “I like Ms. Flora. She’s nice.” She looked up at Jack and added, “Jack, you would like her, too.”

“I’m sure I will,” he smiled back.

They were now back inside the house. The husband was still clutching at his wound. Jack didn’t think he threw that hard, then again, he was used to only throwing snowballs and no other objects, but at least it gave enough time for Krystall and her mom to pack and leave.

The mom started in her daughter’s room, packing clothes, some toys, and other essentials in Krystall’s two _Tinker Bell and Friends_ suitcases, before doing the same with her own.

Once finished, the three walked quickly-Mrs. Henry still limping-to a midnight blue h2 hummer.

Krystall got put into her booster seat.

As she was getting buckled in, she asked, “Mommy, can Jack come with us?”

“Of course he can,” her mom answered a bit weakly. “You never want to leave home without your Guardian Angel.”

“Yay!” Krystall bounced in her seat. “Get in, Jack.”

“That’s all right,” Jack said, “I’m just going to follow.”

“Wish I could fly,” Krystall pouted.

Jack gave her a smile then jumped into the air.

Krystall leaned out the door to watch as Jack hovered twenty feet above.

“We have to go now, honey,” the mom told her. Krystall sat back upright, and her mom shut the door.

* * *

It was a one-hour drive, and Krystall watched Jack through the entire way. He entertained her by doing flips in the air, flying backwards, and surfing on his wooden staff.

She laughed and clapped.

Mrs. Henry occasionally glanced in her rearview mirror at her daughter and thought, _she created this Guardian Angel, or imaginary friend because of what’s been happening at home. I hope she’ll be able to grow out of it in at least a couple of years and not distance herself away from people._

_At least she’s keeping herself entertained, but is she trying to escape from her emotions? Will it change her for the worst? Or is there, for better, in there somewhere?_


End file.
